Page 91 of Thorns of Lust
“Tatiana!” A relieved breath left my lungs as I rushed to the door and opened it.
“Yuri, is everyone alright?” I asked, my eyes darting behind him. “Where is Yan?”
“He’s good. Everyone’s good.”
I pushed my hand into my hair. “Vasili is going to hear about this, won’t he?”
“I can’t make any promises, but we’ll try to keep you out of it,” he promised. “Now, go and do what you must. Lock the doors.”
I wondered if he suspected I was looking for clues. Rather than question him, I just nodded and returned inside.
Like a zombie, I headed into the walk-in closet I used to share with my husband. There were still clothes here. His. Mine. I had only moved items that I knew I’d need. Things that reminded me of Adrian, I left behind.
I aimlessly pushed them on hangers, back and forth. Back and forth.
I loved fashion. Chanel. Valentino. Armani.
No matter my attempts at curbing my taste for luxurious fashion, it was impossible to stop it. I blamed my brothers for feeding the monster inside me whenever I was sad or upset. But the fact was that I thrived on it.
I studied political science only to prove to Adrian I was smart. The truth was, I didn’t care about being smart nor sophisticated. I just wanted to lose myself in different designs, decorate maybe some little shop with beautiful dresses that anyone could afford.
My fingers trembled as I traced them over the fine material of his clothes. He rarely wore them. Many still had tags hanging off them as he rarely dressed up, always opting for casual wear. Somehow being back here, the reminder of Adrian was daunting.
I let out a heavy sigh and headed for the bathroom.
My reflection stared back at me. I felt better than I had in a long time. The mirror attested to it. My hair was shinier, My eyes brighter, my complexion clearer. There was color to my cheeks and the dark shadows under my eyes had faded into nothing.
The doorbell rang, then a loud knock and I stilled. My family knew I moved back to my own place. It wouldn’t be them. Maybe the bad guys? I shook my head at the absurdity of it. What bad guy rings a doorbell?
The door opened. I held my breath as I realized all the guns in secret places were no longer here. I moved them all to my own home. “Tatiana?”
A swish of air left my lungs as relief washed over me. “In here,” I called out to Yan. “Master bathroom.”
I turned away from the mirror, my eyes lingering on that single tile that Adrian and I argued about when I redecorated his penthouse. It stood out.
Yan appeared at the door and I peeled my gaze away from the tile. “This just got delivered.”
I frowned. I had forwarded all my mail. “How come it didn’t go to my house?”
Yan shrugged. “A personal delivery.”
He handed me the box. “Thanks, Yan.”
He nodded. “I’ll be right outside the penthouse.”
I sighed. “You know, you can stay inside the penthouse.”
He gave me a half- smile. “But then I’d miss anyone trying to approach outside. Yuri is outside the building and I’m inside the building. It’s how we work.”
He turned on his heel and left me to it as I ripped open the box. Once open, I found an iPhone in it with a screen saver ‘Play me’ flashing on and off. Suddenly, the brightness of the day dimmed.
I held my breath as I slid the phone open. It was all it needed for a video to start playing.
The video showed Sasha strangling a man. Nobody I recognized, but he was brutal about it. That look in my brother’s eyes was crazed. That unhinged smile on his lips promised pain. God, how many of these damn videos were circulating. It wasn’t one of those that were on Adrian’s laptop. So it couldn’t be it.
What was going on? Who was after my family?
I watched the video play out with a knot in my stomach. Until the body slumped onto the floor, the head almost disjointed from the man’s body.Jesus Christ!
